Army Suicides At All Time High

Click to read full story from CNN

Washington (CNN) -- More U.S. soldiers killed themselves last month than in recent Army history, according to Army statistics released Thursday, confounding officials trying to reverse the grim trend.

The statistics show that 32 soldiers killed themselves in June, the highest number in a single month since the Vietnam era. Twenty-one of them were on active duty, while 11 were in the National Guard or Army Reserve in an inactive status.

Seven of those soldiers killed themselves while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the Army numbers.

The spike comes after the monthly suicide numbers had dropped following a January high of 28, and Army officials admit they still haven't answered the question of why troops are committing suicide at a record rate.

"There were no trends to any one unit, camp, post or station," said Col. Chris Philbrick, head of the Army's suicide prevention task force. "I have no silver bullet to answer the question why."

He said he could offer only what he has said before: "Continued stress on the force and the opportunities we have been facing in terms of the challenges in the Army continue to cause these events to take place."

Including the June numbers, 145 soldiers have killed themselves this year, more than half of the total number for all of 2009, according to Army statistics.

In 2009, a record-breaking year for suicides in the service, 245 soldiers killed themselves.

In another attempt to put a halt to the trend, the Army released a suicide prevention video, a follow-up to one released last year. The updated video is designed to "hit home" with soldiers and instill the importance of getting help, Philbrick said.

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JMC Ministries Response

written by Miranda Caverley

The thing that disturbed me most about this article was not just the article its' self, but the comments that people left at the bottom the the article. They were uncaring and unsympathetic that these Military Men/Women took their own lives.

One person who went by the screenname jesussucks said, "Too many wimps in the Military today makes me sick to think these guys think they could stand with the Best when in reality they nothing but a bunch cry babies"

n0n1m0us3 said,"I'm sure soldiers kill themselves for the same reasons as civilians, hopelessness and depression."

max3377 said,"do they really believe a video will reduce the amount of suicides? talk about doing the bare minimum - that's the US for ya"

There were some comments backlashing at those like "jesussucks" standing up and telling these people to stop saying such horrible things about our troops.

Just the main page of the comments alone, there was not one person that said, how they were praying for the families of those who killed themselves. No empathy was really shown no compassion. Just criticism and heartless Americans attacking those who are fighting to keep us all safe who came to the end of their ropes and felt there was no other way out of their torment than to take their own lives.

Those who do not serve in the military or do not have family that have or are serving will never know the sacrifices our military men and women make everyday just so that those like "jesussucks" can get on a website and have the freedom of speech to bash those who are fighting to give them those rights.

The suicide rate of Army troops is just the tip of the iceburg really. CNN only covered the Army, but what about the Airforce, Marines, Navy, and Coast Guard suicide rates? We have been in a war for 9 years! You don't think after 9 years that those serving would start to get at their breaking points of how much they can handle? When year after year they are deployed into a war zone not knowing if they will live to come home to see their families?

America today seems more concerned with Same Sex Marriage issues, Schools focused on battling to teach kindergarten children about sex, and even hand out condoms to them. Who is going to get the new Iphone 4? What new movies are coming out that you just have to go see, and whether Lady Gaga can get more "likes" on Facebook than President Obama.

When in reality America should be focused on the war that our troops have been fighting for 9 years. We have the worst oil spill in the history of the world happening right now in the Gulf Of Mexico. America is in the biggest recession since the great depression, and that the unemployment rate is at its' highest since the great depression. American citizens are homeless, hungry and struggling day to day just to survive. Where is the empathy fellow American Citizens? Where is your compassion? When it says right at the bottom of the Statue of Liberty "Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Americans need to start coming together to help support our troops instead of tearing them down. If you see a friend or family member who is in the military showing signs that they may harm themselves reach out and help them before it is too late. If your neighbor has lost their job and doesn't have enough money to pay their utility bills, or rent help them if you can. This country was founded on hard working people who helped each other. If it wasn't for them and their compassion and caring many would not be here today.

When another country is in trouble, the U.S.A is there. When a disaster happens in another country, the U.S.A is there. But when disaster strikes our own shores, and our own people are struggling and even taking their own lives we call them wimps, lazy no good people. America needs to get back to the basics and start showing love and compassion towards one another and put all these petty, stupid, selfish agendas aside and focus on how to change the path our Country is on. For a house divided cannot stand.